Use of antibiotics in dogs and cats having surgery at the Foster Hospital for Small Animals

Antibiotics are often administered to human and animal patients undergoing surgery in order to reduce the risk of infection at the surgery site. However, not all patients having surgery require or will benefit from prophylactic use of antibiotics. Overuse of antibiotics can quickly lead to the emergence of highly resistant bacteria within hospitals, increasing the likelihood that your pet and future patients will become infected with bacteria that are very difficult to treat, and may promote the development of multi-drug resistant infections in current patients. To help prevent this problem, our hospital adheres to guidelines for prophylactic antibiotic use.